24
Jan
Making Your 2017 Resolutions Count!
Reading time - 9 mins
"What's is your New Year’s Resolution?" Heard that before? Of course you have. If you haven't heard that question in the last few weeks you will probably hear it this week, or it sounds very familiar to... umm... 12 months ago when the other year finished and the clock struck midnight. Funny that.
Anyway, you may have thought about it already, you may have not. You may have no idea what to choose this year, or you've just recycled the one from last year you didn't achieve.
Regardless of where you are at with your "New Years Resolutions" here are a few things I have learnt over the years that have helped me pick goals, plan goals, stick to goals and achieve goals.
Don't Call them "New Year's Resolutions"
We all do it, "My New Year’s Resolution is....." Hold up! Stop right there. Let us rephrase this.
Lets call this instead my "2017 GOALS are...." that’s right, "GOALS" not "RESOLUTIONS" why?
Simple psychology.
Unless you have been living under a rock, society has taught us every year to make "New Year’s Resolutions" in the hope of achieving them, but then has also turned around and said "It’s ok if you don't achieve them because there's always next year".
If you have that little message in the back of your head saying that it is "ok" if you don't achieve them, that society will forgive you, people will forgive you, you will forgive you, is there any drive or real passion to achieve them?
Don't believe me? Is there something you have been putting on your "New Year’s Resolution" list for the past 3-5 years that just has never been achieved, and every year you just keep writing it on there like this year it will magically happen? I rest my case. WORDING IS EVERYTHING.
Which brings me to....
Wording is everything. Don't just say it. Write it down.
Once you have decided on some pretty epic 2017 goals, there are four things you MUST do.
| 1. Word your goals like you have already achieved them. |
|---|
| I know, it sounds crazy, but this is what it does. It sends a little message to your brain telling you, you NEED to achieve this. It's no longer "lose 10 kg", it's "By October 15th I will have lost 10 kg"! Now that sounds much more motivating. You're brain goes "F-Yeah I have". |
| 2. Be Specific |
| The more detail you can write into your goal the more likely you are going to remember it, remind yourself of it, and the more attached you are going to be to it. If I told you a story of me walking to the shops and just said "I walked to the shops" you wouldn't give a flying pigs ear about that story. However if I told you I walked to the shops, snapped my sandals, fell into this cute guy, broke his nose, had to call an ambulance, had to use my t-shirt to stop the bleeding, stood on the street with no shoes on, in a bra, had a guy bleeding into my shirt, while all the time thinking "I hope he asks me out"... you'd remember that story. Ok, extreme example but you get my drift. Put detail into your goals, where are you, what are you doing, who is with you, even down to what you are wearing and eating/drinking, can really help make these goals REAL in your mind. |
| 3. Write that Shiz down! |
| Physically write those goals down, don't type or text, put pen to paper and write it. It has been proven that the physical act of writing can help retain the information of what you write and creates a personal and emotional connection to it. |
| 4. Put it somewhere you can see it EVERYDAY! |
| Sure it might become "white noise" and you don't notice it anymore... but the fact is you still do. If it's out of sight, it’s out of mind. Same goes for your goals. GET THOSE GOALS IN YOUR FACE! |
Don't just set goals to complete in the year. Set goals to complete everyday, every week and every month.
- Make sure they add value to your life (make them fun)
- If you can, link them in to your big goals
- Make them achievable! You're not going to go from zero to hero in one day! Break it down. If your goal is to drink 3 litres of water a day, maybe start by hitting 2 litres every day for a month, then up it etc. Example - one of mine is to make my bed every day. It's simple, but the routine has made it a habit and at the end of the day I feel so good coming home to a made bed.
Have a mantra for the year, a focus that everything circles around.
Yes it sounds a bit hipster-ish but is does help. This is a really simple one but people over look it. It could be to travel or to get outdoors more.
Make it personal to you, and something that adds value.
Example: My Years Mantra is to "Do things that nourish my mind, body, and health & fitness".
If I come across something that does not fit into this mantra, I'm not going to do it. Simple. It also makes it easier to stay focused on your goals. Try and make your mantra fit in line with your main goal of the year.
And the most important... Deadlines!
Have a deadline or a D-Day for every one of your goals! No deadline, no way you'll commit to it.
- Want to run a half marathon - enter into a fun run.
- Want to lose weight - make an event you want to look fabulous for. Etc.
I love deadlines. I get things done with them. So…
Ladies, Gentlemen and Goal Kickers everywhere, ditch the "New Years Resolutions" and bring in the "2017 Goals".
Add to them, reassess them, break them down, make them a challenge, make them personal, make them fun and by all means make them add value to you and your life! Lets kick 2017 into the next year on an epic high goal-kicking note!
Yours in all things amazing, Annisa
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